1067. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler

Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Running Time: 105 mins

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl is an American film about a senior year student whose life is completely changed after he is told that a girl from his school has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

Last year, I was amazed by the wonderfully emotional and powerful teen drama: The Fault In Our Stars. This film revolves around a similar premise with ‘The Dying Girl’, however it really goes to infinity and beyond to create one of the most incredible movie experiences I’ve ever seen. Stylistically and emotionally, this is a film that will amaze you in so many ways.

Let’s start with the main impact of this film, and that’s the beautifully touching and heartbreaking story of the relationship between Rachel, a girl diagnosed with leukaemia, and Greg, a boy who reluctantly becomes good friends with her.

With incredible performances by both actors, this is one of the most genuine and convincing on-screen friendships you’ve ever seen, and that’s so significant when it comes to packing the emotional punch of the inevitable latter stages of the story, where things take a more dramatic, but still unpredictable turn.

One of the most excellent parts of this film is that it’s also brilliantly self-aware. It knows that many found The Fault In Our Stars cheesy, and think that this genre isn’t really what it says it is. However, this uses its often more light-hearted tone to react to that stigma, and really turn the tables to create a story that will wholly enthral you no matter what your preconceptions about the genre are.

In terms of the comedic tone of this film, it’s also fantastic. The first half of the story is pretty much a comedy, however it’s just as intelligent and fascinating as the drama is. Again, being so self-aware, this film presents itself as a quirky indie story that many hate, and while sticking to some tropes of the genre, it again subverts all of the main stereotypes to once again make something truly genuine and original, and one that will definitely stun you.

Finally, this is also such an amazing film from a stylistic point of view. Not only does it fill itself with an unbelievable and powerful score, but Gomez-Rejon’s directing is so original and impressive. Whether it’s using an odd side-angle shot, or putting the actors through some of the longest takes you’ve ever seen, this is an amazing film to witness as well as experience, and that’s why I’m giving it a 9.5.